Superman: Legacy Casts Marvel Star As Lex Luthor
A storm of talent has been brewing for DC’s Superman: Legacy and now, as Deadline reports, the film has found its Lex Luthor. According to the outlet, Renfield star Nicholas Hoult has been cast in Superman: Legacy as the iconic villain. Hoult will join up-and-comer David Corenswet (Pearl) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) who are playing Superman aka Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively, as well as María Gabriela de Faría who will play fellow villain, The Engineer.
Nicholas Hoult As Hank McCoy
The news of Nicholas Hoult’s Superman: Legacy casting sees the actor crossing the line from one comic book franchise to another as the star has previously appeared in several of Marvel’s X-Men films. In the MCU, the actor stepped in alongside the likes of James McAvoy in the 2010s when the studio attempted to draw audiences back into the story of the mutants. Joining the cast as Hank McCoy aka Beast, the actor donned the brainy character’s blue look in X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix.
James Gunn Heads DC Studios
And, Nicholas Hoult isn’t alone as a member of the Superman: Legacy team to jump ship with Marvel and move to DC. The film’s director, James Gunn, has also worked with both superhero studios in the past, having taken the job as co-DC Studios head last year alongside Peter Safran. As this past year saw the arrival of James Gunns’ third and final installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and he’s now repping DC Studios as its co-leader, Gunn’s run with the MCU is likely finished.
Fantastic Four Casting Rumors
The major casting reveal comes shortly after the SAG-AFTRA strike came to an end with Hollywood returning to business as usual. Along with Nicholas Hoult’s casting in Superman: Legacy, fans can expect to receive plenty more where that came from when it comes to casting reveals. On the other side of the superhero universe, rumors have been swirling that The Last of Us star, Pedro Pascal, will join the MCU in Fantastic Four as Reed Richards – something that would be a big win for both fans and the studio.
Nicholas Hoult’s Busy 2023
An incredibly busy man, Nicholas Hoult has plenty of other projects on the way before Superman: Legacy will fly into theaters on July 11, 2025. Last year, Hoult starred in the comedy horror flick, The Menu, and joined Nicolas Cage in 2023’s Renfield. Up next, the actor will tap into his vocal talents for the animated feature, Garfield, in which he’ll play the titular cat’s doting owner, Jim Arbuckle.
Other Upcoming Projects
Beyond that, Nicholas Hoult is squared away to join Robert Eggers’ adaptation of the vampiric tale, Nosferatu. Another star-studded feature, the film will also display the talents of Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, and Ralph Ineson. He’s also on track to join the cast of Justin Kurzel’s crime thriller, The Order, and Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2 which has the same home studio as Superman: Legacy.
While much about Nicholas Hoult’s role in Superman: Legacy – and the plot of the film as a whole – is still under wraps, with each casting announcement, fans are one step closer to understanding Gunn’s latest cinematic vision.
